On the recordSeptember 16, 2020
I am pleased to join my colleagues Senator Menendez and Senator Durbin in urging the U.S. Senate to do the right thing and grant protected status to Venezuelans in this country. At this moment, I thank them for their continued leadership on this issue and for making sure we have immigration policies that live up to what this country has always stood for. As my colleagues have pointed out, Venezuela is suffering a dire humanitarian crisis under the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. Its economy has collapsed, and its medical system is in free fall. They are governing through a reign of terror. Even before COVID-19 struck, Venezuelans were facing shortages of food, of water, of gasoline, and other lifesaving items. The pandemic has taken a very bad situation and made it much worse--in fact, desperate. An estimated two-thirds of physicians in Venezuela lack access to basic sanitary equipment, like gloves, masks, soap, or goggles, and only 25 percent of the doctors have reliable running water in their hospitals and clinics. On top of this desperate economic situation, you have the political tyranny and terror that has been imposed by the Maduro regime. In fact, as my colleagues pointed out just this morning, U.N. investigators found that Venezuelan security forces and allied groups have committed systemic human rights violations, including killings and torture, amounting to crimes against humanity.…
